Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Sean Bean, King Arthur, and Twelve Other Angry Men

Posted on July 7, 2025 by smellincoffee

Over the weekend I listened to two audiobooks: Sean Bean reading King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, an edition collected by Benedict Flynn; and an ensemble cast performing the original teleplay of Twelve Angry Men, the classic … Continue reading →

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Stephen Fry Reads Harry Potter

Posted on July 4, 2025 by smellincoffee

One of my favorite audiobook narrators is Stephen Fry, whose version of the Harry Potter series is one I’ve heard about from the very first time I tried a Harry Potter novel back in August 2007. (Interestingly, Jim Dale’s Harry … Continue reading →

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Teasin’ Tuesday and June 2025 in Review

Posted on July 1, 2025 by smellincoffee

Gloriosky, is it July already? June is gone, and with it, half of 2025. Today I’m going to combine my monthly wrap-up with Tuesday meming — first the tease, then the top ten! Teaser Tuesday The strongest version of a … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Saturday Shorts: The Hammer of God

Posted on June 28, 2025 by smellincoffee

TIME magazine, unlike many other older magazines, never had a tradition of publishing short fiction — until golden age of SF author Arthur C. Clarke offered to change that. “The Hammer of God” takes us a century into the future, … Continue reading →

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Short rounds: giant radioactive catfish and Congressional ballgames

Posted on June 27, 2025 by smellincoffee

It’s been a quiet week for reviews, largely because I’m nibbling on several books at once instead of committing to anything. Chernobyl’s Wild Kingdom is, as I discovered upon laying eyes on it at the post office, a junior-level science … Continue reading →

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Grease (is the word)

Posted on June 24, 2025 by smellincoffee

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve watched Grease over the years: much of its music is firmly lodged in my head (and insisted on playing itself as I read this), so you might say I’m a fan. Grease: … Continue reading →

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Content & Context

Posted on June 23, 2025 by smellincoffee

Content collects several of Cory Doctorow’s favorite pieces of his written on “technology, creativity, copyright, and the future”, clumping in the mid-2000s. The content is mixed in medium, but united in message: herein are essays, speeches, and interviews that cover … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Saturday Shorts – Clarke and Asimov

Posted on June 21, 2025 by smellincoffee

Today’s short story is a pair of stories, chosen because they share a common theme. The first, Arthur C. Clarke’s “Into the Comet”, opens on a science ship in despair. The Challenger was commissioned to investigate Randall’s Comet, a long-period … Continue reading →

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War

Posted on June 17, 2025 by smellincoffee

War  takes us into the Biden White House and its foreign policy challenges.    Biden had no shortage of  heavy issues coming into office amid a pandemic,  but the changing global scene would create far more.   Woodward’s narrative sews … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore

Posted on June 16, 2025 by smellincoffee

Clay is the newest hire at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, occupying the clerk’s desk through the midnight hours and trying not to go out of his mind with boredom. He is there not because he has a passion for books, … Continue reading →

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